Font Resize
Park City football coach Brandon Matich was torn about his team's 21-14 3A quarterfinal victory against Delta.
On one side, Matich was pleased the Miners advanced to Friday's 11 a.m. semifinal matchup with Hurricane. Then again, there were concerns about the way Park City won. Had it not been for Dylan Chynoweth's 273 rushing yards and three scores, the Miners would have had to make plans that didn't include the game scheduled for Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Turns out, Matich's team felt the same way. The day after their narrow escape from Delta, Park City's players came together for a team sitdown -- sans the coaches.
"They did it on their own," Matich said. "They were pretty disappointed."
The Park City captains called the players to a session strictly to sort out some things. Coaches and players alike expect the semifinal to feature plenty of bruising hits.
"We knew we needed a good week of practice," quarterback Erik Walker said of the Region 10 quest for a big trophy. "It was about not knowing what we were doing in certain situations. We wanted to make sure we got things figured out."
Park City (11-1) understands it will have its hands full with the Region 9 champion Tigers (10-2). They not only came within a game of the championship last year, but dominated the Miners 31-0 en route to the final where Hurricane was ultimately beaten 21-18 by Juan Diego.
"They're a very athletic, super fast team," Matich said.
After a close first half, Hurricane used two long touchdown runs by Jacob Pugh and Zach Sorensen to put away Morgan in its quarterfinal.
Matich, however, is concerned about the Tigers' aggressive defense, led by Jeff Staples, Micah Andersen and Taylor Frost.
"We pride ourselves on being very physical," Matich said. "We've got to be the most physical football team.
"We're similar teams. They're a little bigger than we are."
Offensively, it starts for Park City up front, creating space for Chynoweth and Walker. They have combined for nearly 3,500 yard rushing.
"They're a tough team," Walker said of Hurricane. "They play fast and physical. We have to be physical and do our individual jobs. We can't let up. We have to count on each other."
The outcome promises to hinge on the smallest mistake. They are 4-0 against common opponents. Hurricane may have played a tougher schedule, though, including a game at 5A Skyline where the Tigers lost 27-14.
Park City is driven by the thought of a state championship.
"We can't get caught up in trying to do too much," Matich said. "Hurricane whipped our tails last year. No way we can look past that. We were awestruck last year. This year our expectations are higher."
The Miners and Tigers meet Friday at 11 a.m. in a Class 3A semifinal at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Park City will try to avenge last year's loss.
